by Serena Zane
The man on the other end spoke in Spanish and Avery answered him. It didn’t take long before the guard directed the jeep around to the servant’s entrance. Kevin stayed hidden until they past the guards. Sweat trickled down his back as he waited crouched low and hidden under a throw blanket making him even hotter, they parked in the back. Hawke and Avery got out with the cleaning supplies. Kevin waited about ten minutes before leaving the relative safety of the vehicle.
It’d been decided that Avery would leave the back door open and he could sneak in that way. The guards followed Hawke and Avery as hoped. He didn’t expect anything else with her prancing around in the tight tank top and shorts she wore. Kevin gave a brief thought to the fact that while she might be cute, she was no Lucy.
He shook his head at the gullibility of man. Kevin climbed out of his side of the jeep and crouched down to avoid being seen. He moved along the line of cars in the parking lot. It didn’t take much for him to find the door Avery left open for them to enter. As with the other villa this was an opulent home with lush carpeting and high ceilings. Not a place where one would think to look for a deadly menace like Rivera.
Kevin moved off to the left room just in front of him. He listened for voices for a moment. Not hearing anything inside, Kevin held his gun at the ready and entered. Nothing, an empty parlor lay in front of him. Everything seemed to be in place so he moved on.
Silently, he left the room and headed down the hall a few feet more to the door on his right hand side. Again he stood and listened. Kevin heard a rustling inside, one person known within, it didn’t sound like more. About to enter, a squeak from a shoe came down the hall. Kevin looked and noticed Hawke making her way towards him.
Kevin gave an imperceptible nod and gestured for her to go in with her gun concealed. She smiled. Kevin was pleased that it didn’t take much for her to figure out what Kevin wanted her to do. She raised her fist to the door and knocked.
“Que?” The door opened slightly, Kevin could barely make out a Colombian man standing there looking at her with interest. Hawke fidgeted with her hair and let a coy smile play against her lips. She gestured for the guard to join her in the hall and backed up slightly. The guard followed intrigued.
Hawke trailed a finger down the deep neckline of the tight tank top she chose to wear, a good choice. The guard stepped completely from the room and reached out to touch her. She gave nothing away as Kevin snuck up behind the guard and bashed him over the head with the handle of his gun.
The guard slumped to the floor soundlessly. Kevin immediately rushed into the room and immobilized the other occupant. It didn’t take long, and after a cursory glance they discovered that they’d stumbled across the security room. Maybe she’s ready for a solo op after all, Kevin thought. She’d certainly proved her worth so far.
“Tie them up.” Kevin nodded to the guards. Hawke produced her zip ties and cuffed them. She joined him at the security screens. The cameras panned most of the house. Kevin located Avery working in a dining room with a guard watching over him. Probably to make sure he wouldn’t steal anything.
Hawke let out a small laugh.
Kevin glanced at her, “What?”
“They probably think Avery’s going to lift the silver.” Hawke’s eyes danced merrily, and Kevin smiled then pointed to the camera on the upper left hand corner.
Her eyes narrowed into hazel slits. Rivera paced back and forth in a room for conference meetings. A phone centered in the middle of the meeting table and a light flashed on line one.
Unfortunately, no sound was audible. Hawke’s frustration showed on her face and Kevin patted her shoulder.
“We need to get to him fast. He’ll know where she’s being held, and then we need to leave before the rest of his men show up.”
She brushed a stray hair behind her ear. Kevin turned and walked out making sure he cleared the way. Hawke followed.
Kevin and Cindy slipped down the corridor undetected. Their shoes didn’t dare to make a whisper. Avery had provided several maps of Rivera’s city dwelling, and the cameras helped. It didn’t take them long to get to the conference room. Muffled voices talked inside.
Kevin eased the door back and caught a glimpse of Rivera. He appeared agitated and ran his hand over his face. It seemed clear Rivera did not like what he heard from the man on the other end of the line.
“You cannot do this Senor. I’ve much on the line with my men.”
“You don’t need to worry about your men much longer, Rivera. They’ll be taken care of in short order, as will you. You screwed up, I do not tolerate mistakes. Much like your self, I am a man of perfection. Unfortunate.” The line suddenly went dead and Rivera paled. He leaned over the desk and Kevin made his move.
Gun held at eye level he and Hawke entered the room.
“Don’t move Rivera. You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand your rights?”
“Si, but we are not in America, Senor. Those rights do not apply here, do they? You are not police. You know Senor Garrett, you will not be able to hold me for long. I’ve got many friends.”
“Your so called friends will not even be aware you’re missing Rivera. Where is she?” Kevin placed his gun against the back of Rivera’s head. Pressing harder Rivera winced, “where the hell is she?”
Rivera laughed, “Somewhere you’ll never find her! Now let me go or she dies.”
Kevin fumed and grabbed Rivera’s wrist with his free hand slamming it on the table. “Tell me now or lose your hand!” Kevin aimed his gun directly at Rivera’s palm, “Now!”
“Never!” Kevin pulled the trigger, the gun went off. Rivera screamed, “You bastard! You shot me!”
“Damn straight! Now tell me where she is or you lose the other one.” Kevin moved to place to other hand on the table ready to take the shot.
“No! No, I’ll tell you.” Kevin pulled back and waited the space of a heartbeat, all the patience he had.
“Well?”
“She’s in the study.” Rivera’s gaze didn’t leave the gun Kevin still aimed at him.
Kevin surged forward. “You’re lying! I came through the study and no one’s there.”
“Wait! Don’t shoot! She’s in a hidden room behind the bookshelf. I’ll show you!” Kevin exchanged quick glances with Hawke and motioned for Rivera to precede them into the study. The man got up cradling his injured hand.
“If you’re lying to me, you’re a dead man.”
They reached the study in short order. Rivera approached the bookshelf. The small panel hid on the side. He punched in a code with his good hand. The shelf started to silently slide open. A dark concrete hallway led to another room at the end.
A scream tore down the narrow confines of space.
Kevin roughly shoved Rivera to the ground. The man fell to his knees. “Take care of this trash.”
A flash of concern passed through Hawke’s eyes, but she trained her gun steadily on Rivera’s head. “You’d better pray she’s alright, or I won’t be held responsible for what he does to you.”
Kevin burst through the heavy steel door at the end of the hall just as another blow from a thick leather belt landed against Lucy’s soft flesh. Ugly red streaks of blood ran down from cuts created by the lash. With a roar, Kevin raised his gun and shot the man in mid-swing. Blood spattered across the wall. The man fell. Kevin hardly registered the guy’s death. He rushed forward raising Lucy up so her arms no longer stretched to hold her upright.
“God baby, I’m so sorry I’m late.” Kevin took in deep breaths as he tried to control the rage he felt. “Hawke! Get in here!”
Running footsteps sounded and Hawke appeared in the doorway.
“Crap. Is she okay?” She rushed to Kevin’s side. Together they started to cut her down.
“I don’t know.”
The last
of the rope cut through and Lucy let out a gasp and began to slump forward.
Kevin caught her and lifted her into his arms. “I do know one thing. Rivera’s a dead man. He just doesn’t know it yet. Let’s move.”
Lucy leaned her head against Kevin’s shoulder.
They’d reached the side door when Avery came strolling out with their cleaning equipment. He appeared rushed. It wouldn’t look good if the guards noticed Kevin and Lucy. She could barely walk and he practically carried her to the vehicle. He didn’t care.
Lucy let out a pained groan as they hurried to get into the back of the jeep with Rivera.
Hawke’s gun pressed to the back of his head. “One peep and your dead Rivera-- any one of us would be happy to shoot you.”
Rivera nodded in understanding.
“Get under the blanket.” Hawke shoved him into the jeep and Rivera ducked underneath. Kevin followed making sure Rivera didn’t come anywhere within touching distance to Lucy.
A few seconds later Hawke and Avery loaded their cleaning supplies on top of them and started the vehicle. Hawke flirted with the guard at the gate and said goodbye as he penciled down his phone number and gave it to her. She thanked him and promised to call as they drove through the gates surrounding the building.
CHAPTER 30
They arrived back at the base without any more trouble. Pulling Rivera out of the jeep, Kevin roughly shoved him over to where Avery stood waiting.
Lucy could tell Rivera’s nerves were jumping as his gaze landed on the long escalator that went below. Sweat beaded on his brow.
Good, he deserves to be scared.
They all got onto the slow moving pathway and began their descent. Lucy swayed a little on her own two feet, but didn’t take her eyes off their prisoner as beaten as she was.
“I wonder what he’s thinking. This isn’t your normal containment facility. Different laws govern us here. Do you think he’s nervous?”
Their eyes met, and Kevin sucked in his breath. He reached across to where Lucy stood and gave a gentle tug. She leaned into his arms. His hand came up and he brushed away some of the blood that dried on her lips.
Hawke cleared her throat and as they both looked at her, she spoke up, “I definitely think he’s nervous. Perhaps we can let you do the interrogation Montgomery. You seem to have an affinity with this man. Maybe you could even use the same technique he used on you. I understand it’s particularly painful.”
“Yes, but that would be a bit too cruel. I’ve got something much more pleasant in mind.” They cleared the escalator and moved directly to the cell block off to the left. Avery led them to a closed area with a long table and two chairs. The one-way mirror glistened and Lucy tried to grin at Hawke, but failed and winced. Instead, she motioned her outside.
“Perhaps I’d better let you take over from here. I’m a bit too involved with this case right now. After what he did to me I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to keep my cool in there. Let me know what happens. Don’t let Kevin go too crazy on him. I want the bastard to be able to stand trial.” Lucy stood and watched her friend for a moment and recognized the second she saw understanding on Hawke’s face.
“Of course Luce, I’ll send Garrett with the news. You two need some alone time together anyhow. You’ll want an opportunity to be by your selves.”
“Thanks, I owe you one. Please let them know I’ve gone to take a quick nap and I’ll see you all at dinner. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired.” Hawke pulled Lucy into a quick, but gentle hug and went back into the interrogation room with the men. Lucy sighed and leaned back against the wall for a moment to let the relief flow out of her. She could breathe easy for a while.
When she got to her room she picked up the phone and dialed her brother.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s me. Everything’s taken care of down here and I’ll be home soon. How are you?”
“Fine. The doc said I should be able to go back to work in a few weeks. Killroy’s already placed several assignments with my name on them. Better watch out. I’m going to catch up with you this time.” He laughed.
Lucy joined him then groaned. Her ribs hurt, but she didn’t need Chase knowing she’d gotten the crap beaten out of her. “Not if I can help it. I’m now three assignments up on you.”
She liked hearing the laughter in Chase’s voice. “How’s Hawke doing?” She took note of the interest coming over the line.
“Sounds like you’ve got a crush brother. She’s fine. Right now she’s enjoying interrogation with Rivera.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice, and didn’t really feel like trying.
“Are you all right?”
The concern touched her and Lucy rubbed her forehead. “Yes, I think I’ll be just fine. I’ve just never been roughed up in that particular fashion. I lucked out though. At least I didn’t need to go to the hospital.” Lucy kept her tone light. If how she felt was any indication of how badly she was hurt, she’d need to make a trip herself to ensure she wasn’t broken in inconvenient places, but again, Chase didn’t need to know that.
“Yeah, I’ll see you soon Luce. Take care of yourself.”
“I will, you too. No more hospitals, they’re bad for my heart.” They both laughed. “Bye Chase.”
“Bye Luce.”
She hung up the receiver and sat on the edge of her bunk. Her hand rubbed the wool blanket covering.
“You okay?” Kevin’s deep voice rumbled from the doorway where he stood leaning against the frame.
“Yeah, it’ll just take a while to get over. I’m glad you came.” Kevin walked over and stopped right in front of her.
A lump formed in her throat.
“God, for a minute I thought I might lose you. When I saw you hanging in that room…” He stroked her hair and pulled her to him enveloping her in his strong arms, “I love you Lucy. I think I always have.”
“I love you too.” She closed her eyes and silent tears fell on his shoulder.
“I need to make sure you’re safe. Marry me?”
Lucy raised her head, tears making her vision a little blurry. She let out a little laugh, “Make sure I’m safe? What about you? You’re the one who got shot. Whatever will Killroy say?”
“Honestly, right now I don’t give a damn.” Bringing her close again he laid his lips on hers, it stung, but she leaned into his powerful kiss. The world of hatred and pain they lived in every day faded from existence-- if only for a moment.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Serena Zane is an eclectic author of paranormal romance, sweet romance, and action-adventure romance. She lives with her husband and her son in the Northwest. Working full-time at a day job, she plays hard and spends her free-time studying the Middle Ages in a re-creationist organization and creating books. She juggles her life between work, being a Mom, training for heavy armored combat, learning about music in the 16th Century, playing her violin, and writing.
Serena began her writing journey at an early age with short stories and poetry inspired by her mother Darlene, a strong independent woman who loves to help others, and who writes her own stories and articles.
As Serena traveled the world, touring seventeen countries in three years, she picked up invaluable life experience. Coming home in 2001 she knew her newest passion — to become a writer. In 2009, Serena became a member of Romance Writer’s of America, and has been working on her craft with the wonderful members of the Olympia Chapter. In 2010, she participated in Nanowrimo completing a 50,000+ word manuscript in one month, and in 2011 Serena won the Lucy Monroe award in the Romance Writer’s of America Olympia Chapter for her achievements as a writer.
Though she does love the Middle Ages, and has written a few short stories in the genre, she fell in love with the idea of writing a contemporary action/adventure romance while she was attending college to study Criminal Justice.
After months of working on homework assignments late at night that made her want to turn on eve
ry light in the house, Serena decided it would be a great idea to take some of the ideas running through her head and commit them to paper.
Serena also has several books out now through Books To Go Now publishing. To view more of Serena Zane’s works visit her website at: http://www.serenazane.com. She would love to hear from you.
Also connect with Serena Zane on the following:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/serenazane
Facebook: http://facebook.com/serenazane
Books To Go Now – Highest Quality eBooks and short story downloads on the web.
Serena Zane short stories with Books To Go Now!
Follow the Heart
Sonja's marriage has fallen apart, but she still wants to believe there is someone out there for her.
Seeking something more she heads off to a medieval fair to spend two weeks separated from the world. Sonja finds much more than she bargained for.
Moonlight in a Pickup Truck
One more night…is it worth the risk to lose everything for a chance at love? Placing your heart on the line is hard to do, especially when there is doubt that the love is returned in the same way. Her best friend is leaving for the Navy and this is her last opportunity to reveal her true feeling, but will she have the courage?
Bookstogonow.com
Snow Beast
Dark Warrior series
It’s winter in Boston and the animals have come out to play. When two men are found dead mauled to death in an alley Detective Nikki Adams knows that something unusual is going on. Faced with a reality unlike any she’s ever known Nikki is thrown into a paranormal world where vampires and werewolves are real.